Billy Mays, who took the art of the TV sales pitch to a new level, died of an heart attack Sunday morning, Florida authorities close to the situation revealed.
A medical examiner in Florida says Mays showed no evidence of head trauma, despite being struck on the head on board an airliner that made a rough landing.
That flight took place on Saturday night.
The TV advertising guru arrived home safely, despite the difficult landing, but Billy Mays was found dead early Sunday morning at his Tampa house.
Preliminary autopsy results show that Mays suffered from hypertensive heart disease, Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Vernard Adams said.
Infomercial king Billy Mays (1958-2009).
Toxicology and tissue tests will take several weeks before a final cause of death is issued, he said. But the autopsy showed no evidence of trauma to the head, either external or internal, despite Billy Mays hitting it on the plane.
The autopsy showed that Mays' heart was heavier than normal because the left ventricle had enlarged, a symptom of heart disease, Adams said, also noting that investigators had ruled out prescription drug abuse as a cause of his death.
Billy Mays was taking prescription painkillers Tramadol and hydrocodone for hip pain, but pill counts showed that Mays had taken the correct amount.
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4 Comments
June 29th, 2009 3:15 PM
i once saw him eat a steak on his show... the culprit? rap tribute to the man behind oxiclean at www.yovia.com/blogs/timlara
June 29th, 2009 3:44 PM
I have had the pleasure of working with Billy Mays. Although many people associate him with being the loud, larger-than-life personality booming from their television, he was also one of the nicest and most genuine people I have ever met. He was certainly one-of-a-kind and will be missed terribly. I left a lasting condolence for his family at http://www.tributes.com/national/news/2
June 29th, 2009 4:05 PM
Billy Mays ... Here: http://tinyurl.com/aezmzw
June 30th, 2009 1:16 AM
William Darrell "Billy" Mays, Jr. (July 20, 1958 – June 28, 2009) was a television direct-response advertisement salesperson most notable for promoting OxiClean, Orange Glo, and other cleaning, home-based, and maintenance products. His distinctive beard and loud sales pitches made him a recognized television presence. Billy Mays is no more. He has ceased to be. Billy Mays, salesman extraordinaire, has passed away at the tender age of only 50, of a pulmonary embolism stemming from heart disease. He had received a knock on the head as a result of a plane mishap he endured recently, but it's believed to not have been related. Many gave out fast cash for the products he endorsed, as he was known for only endorsing products that worked well. Cast mate Anthony Sullivan from the pair's show Pitchmen, as well as others relayed their devastation after the news was broke. OxyClean was Billy Mays vehicle to stardom, as many got payday loans for his products and loved his gregarious personality.